Page 124 - Australian Paint & Panel Nov-Dec 2020

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BEST PRACTICE AWARDS
PAINT&PANEL NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020 WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
EDITOR’S AWARD
VARRICHIO’S CRASH REPAIRS
IT’S GREAT TO SEE A SHOP TOTALLY TRANSFORMED. VARRICCIO’S DEMONSTRATES THAT YOU CAN UNDERTAKE DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENTS, EVEN IN A TINY SPACE.
as varied as for someone who gives back to the com- T munity as for the best ‘cus- tomer facilities’ - and yes that in-
cluded the ‘smallest room’.
We’ve been visiting Varricchio’s Crash
Repairs in Adelaide for years on the judging circuit. It’s truly one of the smallest workshops we have seen and we could never understand the layout.
Last year when we visited judge Powell and I suggested that as the business didn’t undertake many heavy structural repairs, the massive Blackhawk bench was taking up a sizeable chunk of the workshop and that with it gone there would be room for a prep bay. It is hard to get rid of a perfectly good piece of equip- ment but owner Michael Varricchio final- ly bit the bullet at the beginning of the year and when we Zoomed in it was to a totally transformed workshop.
Not only was there two smart bay prep bays but they he had also built a mezza- nine floor to store parts and equipment – almost doubling the size of the workshop.
Two more bays has made a big differ- ence - although it’s hard to quantify as this has been such an unusual year. However the business has done well and is much more profitable than before in 2020 despite all the manure the year has thrown at everyone. For starters the ex- tra space means the team aren’t spend- ing ages moving cars around which they don’t get paid for and are spending more time doing tasks they do get paid for.
We also suggested that the tiny recep- tion/office could do with a major spruce and lo and behold Varricchio has got his mitts on a building on the street front -
HE EDITOR’S AWARD HAS
been bestowed for reasons
the shop is currently accessed up a nar- row lane. This will allow for a more spa- cious customer facility without any office clutter. Not only is the workshop transformed but there’s a very cool mu- ral being created on the lane wall.
We’ve been very critical here because these guys are really good at fixing cars and making customers happy and we thought they sure be doing more of it. They have a large number of repeat customers and do very well in the word of mouth de- partment. Digital word of mouth is excel- lent too with a 4.8 Google rating from 56 reviews. The business received WOMO (Word of Mouth Online) Service Awards for 2016, 2017 & 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Going forward and as we move - hope- fully in a linear direction - towards nor- mal, the improvements will see the business increasing production and its customer base. It’s great to see such a dramatic improvement.
ABOVE: Soon there will be a dedicated customer reception on the street.
TOP: This configuration has meant two extra bays and a mezzanine.